NFL Quick Shots: Saints' struggles seem a surprise

Thursday

New Orleans, at 7-8, seems like a middle of the road team. Other numbers say it should be much, much better than that.

New Orleans, at 7-8, seems like a middle of the road team. Other numbers say it should be much, much better than that.

The Saints, Chicago's final foe this season, are No. 1 in the NFL in red-zone touchdowns (34 of 48 trips). They're first in the NFC converting third downs (48.0 percent), with quarterback Drew Brees first in the NFC with a 101.1 third-down passer rating.

They're also first in the NFC with 318 first downs. And Brees is only 11 completions away from an NFL single-season record. The offensive line has allowed the fewest sacks, by far, this season with 13. Their receivers are second in the NFL since 2006 for yards after the catch behind Green Bay, with Brees sixth in NFC passer ratings at 90.8.

Given all that, you figure their defense must stink. No, not really. It had a seven-game stretch in which it did not allow 100 rushing yards to an opponent. The Saints are giving up 4.1 yards per rush, a vast improvement from 4.9 last season when they reached the NFC Championship. They've also had 27 sacks in their last 11 games.

So, what's the story?

"For us, we’ve got a small margin of error," head coach Sean Payton said. "The little things become so much more important. Our turnovers were better a year ago than they are this year.

"I think by and large we had better balance offensively. I think we were statistically better on defense. There are a number of things you can point to and say these are going to be things we have to correct to get back in this thing a year from now."

Being minus-7 in turnover margin is the most telling statistic. Getting off to an 0-4 start didn't help, either.

Nice show of support

As the Saints walked off the field after losing at home last Sunday to Philadelphia, Drew Brees said he was thinking how they messed up their playoff chances.

He won't soon forget the crowd's reaction.

"We had a ton of fans stick around and cheer us," he said. "It just let's you know how much they support us. Obviously, we want to win here, but they understand at times you're not."

Bring out the brooms

The New England Patriots, after beating the New York Giants 27-17 Saturday night, will have swept all 16 regular-season foes.

That will be just the start. Look for them to sweep all the major honors:

MVP - Tom Brady. Brett Favre lost any argument, and votes, last week against Chicago.

Coach of the Year - Bill Belichick. For Green Bay's Mike McCarthy's chances, see above.

General Manager of the Year - Scott Pioli. This is the easiest vote ever. Anyone who can add wideouts Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker and linebacker Adalius Thomas all in one offseason should probably go right into the Hall of Fame.

Surprising statistic

You think of the Bears defense, you think of that unit coming close to outscoring its offense on occasion.

Not this year. Brian Urlacher's 85-yard interception return for a score Sunday against Green Bay was Chicago's first defensive touchdown of the season.

In 2006, the Bears had three defensive scores -- by Mike Brown, Ricky Manning Jr. and Charles Tillman. In 2005, they had five, including two by Nathan Vasher.